The highly-rated 22-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League for several years now, and Alan Pardew's side has won the race for his signature, according to the Ligue 1 club's official Twitter account.

The two teams are believed to have agreed a reduced fee of 1.8 million pounds, as the player's contract was set to expire at the end of the season.

The box-to-box midfielder has allegedly signed a five-and-a-half year contract, and will complete the move after undergoing a medical.

The Magpies are currently 16th in the Premier League after a disappointing first half of the campaign, following their fifth-placed finish last season.

But Pardew has moved quickly in the January transfer window in a bid to arrest their slump, though Demba Ba left the club for Chelsea at the start of the month and club captain Fabricio Coloccini's future is in doubt.